Let’s Get Acquainted – Blog Hop {6/4/2014}

Today is my day on Plum & June’s New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop!

Yvonne (Quilting Jetgirl)

I am Yvonne (aka Quilting Jetgirl). About a month and a half ago, I took a big leap and left my full time engineering job in the aerospace industry. I actually loved my job and my co-workers (hint: scroll to the bottom of the linked post if you are curious), but the stress… mmm… not so much. I just couldn’t seem to figure out a way to cope with the pressure, so after a lot of time and thought (4 years of planning), I am now working full time on my physical and mental health. Which means I get to spend my time doing things that I love but used to have a lot less time for: meditating, exercising, and quilting!

I live in Tehachapi, California, which is a little mountain pass town that is between Bakersfield and Mojave. I love summertime in Tehachapi! The long evenings and warm weather are perfect for walks down to the local farmer’s market or my LQS when I need to pick up a few supplies. Yup, I strap on my backpack and walk 4 miles (round trip) to pick up batting and thread. I am loving the change of pace in my life right now.

Enough about me; would you like to see some of my quilts? 🙂

1. Solar System Baby Quilt     2. 4th of July Picnic Quilt     3. Color Weaving II Baby Quilt

4. You + Me Lap Quilt     5. Whale of a Time Lap Quilt     6. Falling for Fall

These are a few of the projects that I have finished so far this year. My main focus since February 2013 has been to work on improving my free motion quilting skills. I feel a lot more confident in trying new quilting designs, and I think that my focus is starting to shift into design. Recently, I have been playing around with my own patterns, and I hope that having more time will allow me to develop what used to be idle doodles and fantasies into quilting reality! Regardless, the next year promises to be a very new kind of adventure for me.

In terms of blogging, I have found that writing posts in advance and setting a publishing schedule has been a wonderful way to keep my writing momentum. I love how I can sit down and write in the moments I have available and know that I have time to come back and finish. And if I didn’t have time, well no harm done, I can just move that publishing date or time out a little bit!

My favorite quilting trick is to sew with a scant quarter inch seam. I don’t always use this trick when I am piecing, but it really has helped me get crisp, even blocks over the years. In particular, I *love* log cabin blocks, and sewing with a scant quarter inch allows me to trim up the blocks to keep them from getting uneven as more and more layers are added. For my old sewing machine, I could not nudge my needle over to the right, so I learned how to sew a scant quarter inch seam by trial and error and then placed some masking tape as a guide. My current machine allows me to nudge my needle to the right, which is a wonderful feature and one I made sure this machine had before I upgraded – that’s how much I love this trick! Because I just can’t stop with my quilting tips, my second favorite trick is to make sure my sewing needle stops down. Always. Whether I am piecing, quilting or putting on binding, this has really helped me gain consistency when I start and stop whatever I might be sewing!

Puppy (the cat), Quilt, and Jet Engines

Puppy is my fur baby. As you can obviously tell, my husband wanted a dog. We compromised. I got the cat (who actually picked me), and my husband named him. It works for us. You can also see why my husband’s nickname is “jetman” in the photo with 2 of his homemade turbojet engines in the background.

Quilting Jetgirl Speed Trivia Round

1. Name: Yvonne (YAw-vaughn)
2. Myers-Briggs: ISFJ, The Nurturer
3. Sign: Virgo
4. Began Quilting: 1996, but really active since 2010 and brand new to blogging
5. Favorite Author: Orson Scott Card
6. Favorite Movies: I love The Princess Bride, Shakespeare in Love, The Incredibles, i {heart} huckabees, and the minions from Despicable Me. 🙂
7. Favorite TV Show: I have not owned a TV since 2002. I do occasionally watch Daily Show clips online.
8. Favorite Bands: Chevelle, Coldplay, Linkin Park. I love listening to music as I quilt.
9. Favorite Numbers: 3, 8, 9, 14
10. Superpower I Wish I Possessed: Super Flexibility like Elastagirl

Quilting Jetgirl

Still here? Great! Now that you know me a little bit better, I want to know something about you! I like to think of myself as Jetgirl, and it makes me feel a little bit like a comic book character, which is super empowering and fun. So what is your quilting superpower, or what superpower do you wish you had? My quilting superpower is speed sewing, which really is a super power because it can be a blessing and a curse (my seam ripper is my most used tool…).

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please be sure to check out all the other bloggers in this week’s blog hop:

• Jen @ Bower Bird Patch
• Afton @ Quilting Mod
• Jessica @ One English Teacher
• Barbara @ Suzy Homemaker
• Cynthia @ Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework
• Mary @ See Mary Quilt
• Laurel @ Drowning In Fabric
• Linda @ Talking Lunch Box Quilts
• Rebecca @ One Wee Bird
• Anne @ Hudson Valley Quilts
• Diana @ Red Delicious Life
• Terri @ Childlike Fascination

2014 New Quilt Blogger Blog Hop @ plum and june